Rail-fastener.



SIMON C. COLLINS, 0F BAINBRIDGE, PENNSYLVANIA.

BAIL-FASTENER.

,Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 10, 1916.

Application filed February 18, 1916. Serial No. 79,208.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SIMON O. COLLINS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bainbridge, in the county of Lancaster and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Rail-Fastener, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to rail fasteners, one of its objects being toprovide novel means whereby the fish plate and the base plate will beheld properly assembled relative to each other and to the rails, itbelng possible to disconnect the parts from the rails without shiftingsaid rails out of almement.

A further object is to provide a fastener which does not require the useof bolts or like fastening means in order to hold it 1n proper relationto the rails.

With the foregoing and other ob ects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the c o1nb1- nation andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed, can be made within thescope of What is claimed, without departing from the spirit of thelnvention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention hasbeen shown.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a rail joint embodying thepresent improvements. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view. Fig. 3 is a sectionon line AB F g. 1. Fig. 4 ,is a section on line CD Fig. 3, the ribs onthe base plate being shown in plan. Fig. 5 is an enlarged section online E F Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a portion of one of thefish plates, a portion of the base plate, and the projecting end portionof one of the wedging keys. 7

Referring to the figures by characters of reference R designates therails to be connected,. these rails pro ecting between opposed fishplates 1 and 2 each of which has an upstanding web engaging portlon 3, abase engaging portion 4 and spaced depending flanges 5.- The inner endsof these .fianges are notched or recessed, as at '6. The

fish plate 2 is provided at the lower edge of its web engaging portionwith an outstanding longitudinal lip or bead 7 forming a recess 8thereunder for the purpose hereinafter set forth. A longitudinal bead 9may also be provided along the side of' the base engaging portion ofsaid fish plate.

A flat base plate 10 is adapted to extend under the meeting end portionsof the rails R and is provided, adjacent its ends, with upstandingretaining ribs 11 and 12 while formed within the base plate beyond theseribs are openings 13 for the reception of spikes 14: or other suitablefastening devices. Formed in each side of the base plate 10 is anelongated recess 15 and a short recess 16. Thus there is provided an car17 between each recess 15 and the adjacent recess 16. The length of therecesses 15 is somewhat less than the distance between the flanges 5 atthe two sides of the rails and it will thus be seen that when the ears17 are seated within the notches or recesses 6, as shown in Fig. 4:, theouter end walls of the recesses 15 will be seated within the adjacentrecesses 6 so that the plate 10 will thus be supported by the bottomwalls of the recesses 6. lVhen plate 10 is positioned in this mannerrelative to the recesses 6 the ribs 11 and 12 are arranged beyond thesides of the fish plates, rib 11 abutting against the fish plate 1 asshown in Fig. 3, while a key receiving space .is formed between the rib12 and the fish .plate 2. r

A wedge-shaped retaining strip 18 is adapted to be inserted between therib 12 and the fish plate 2, this strip being pro* vided with alongitudinal groove 19 for the reception of the rib 9. Furthermore atongue 20 extends upwardly and inwardly fromthe strip 18 and is adaptedto project into the recess or groove S formed under the rib or bead 7. Awedge-shaped key 21 is insertible longitudinally between the strip 18and the rib 12 and has a notch 22 in that face thereof engaging thestrip l8,this notch spike being designed to come against the beveledwall 25 at the inner end of one of the notches 16 so as thus to bedeflected or bent as shown particularly in Fig. 5 and consequently beheld against withdrawal from the joint.

For the purpose of holding the rails against longitudinal displacementrelative to the fastening means, each rail is provided upon its bottomface and close to the plate 10, with an extension or enlargement 26adapted to extend close to the plate 10, these extensions being providedwith projecting portions 27 extending into the recesses 15. Theseprojecting portions, by engaging the sides of the plate 10 serve to holdthe rails R against longitudinal movement toward the plate and alsopermit the necessary sliding movement of the plate 10 transversely ofthe rails in order to bring the recesses 16 into register with therecesses 6, thus to permit disengagement of the plate 10 from theflanges 5.

It will be apparent that the parts can be tightened readily by drivingthe key 21 longitudinally and can then be held by driving a spike 2%into the registering notches 22 and 23. Nhen it is desired to detach theparts, spike 24 is Withdrawn, the wedging key 21 and strip 18' areremoved and plate 10 is then shifted transversely under the rails untilthe notches 16 are brought into the recesses 6 and the outer walls ofthe recesses 15 are removed from the adjacent notches 6. vVhen the partsare thus positioned the plate 10 can be lowered out of engagement withthe flanges 5.

In order to limit the longitudinal'movement of the strip 18, a nose 18is preferably extended downwardly from one end thereof and is designedto lap one side of the base plate 10.

lVhat is claimed is 1. A rail fastener including opposed fish plateseach having spaced depending flanges at its outer side, the inner endsof the flanges being recessed, a base plate extending between saidspaced flanges and having upstanding retaining ribs, one of said ribsbeing engaged by one of the fish plates, wedging means interposedbetweenthe other fish plate and the adjacent upstanding rib for holdingthe base plate with its recesses removed from the recesses in thedepending flanges, said base plate, when relieved from the holdingaction of the wedging means, being shiftable longitudinally to bring itsrecesses within the recesses in the depending flanges.

2. A rail fastener including opposed fish plates, base flanges dependingfrom each fish plate, the inner ends of the flanges being recessed, abase plate normally seated in the recesses and having recesses in itssides shiftable to position between the depending flanges to releasesaid base plate from the flanges, upstanding ribs upon the base plate,one of said ribs being normally engaged by one of the fish plates,wedging means insertible between the other fish plate and the otherupstanding rib to hold the base plate against movement to releasedposition, and means for holding said wedging means against displacement.

3. A rail fastener including opposed fish plates, base flanges dependingfrom each fish plate, the inner ends of the flanges being recessed, abase plate normally seated in the recesses and having recesses in itssides shiftable to position between the depending flanges to releasesaid base plate from the flanges, upstanding ribs upon the base plate,one of said ribs being normally engaged by one of the fish plates,wedging means insertible between the other fish plate and the otherupstanding rib to hold the base plate against movement to releasedposition, a tongue extending from the wedging means and insertible intoone of the fish plates, and

means for fastening together the wedging means.

a. Rail fastening means including opposed fish plates, spaced flangesdepending from each fish plate and having recesses in their inner ends,a base plate insertible under the fish plates and between the flanges,the side edges of the base plate being normally seated in the recesses,said base plate having side recesses for releasing the base plate fromthe flanges when said base plate is shifted longitudinally in onedirection, upstanding ribs upon the base plate, one ofsaid ribs engagingone of the fish plates, a wedging strip interposed between the otherfish plate and rib, a tongue upon said strip and pro j ecting into theadjacent fish plate, a wedging key interposed between the wedging stripand the adjacent rib, and means for fastening together the key and thewedging strip.

5. Rail fastening means including opposed fish plates, spaced flangesdepending from each fish plate and having recesses in their inner ends,a base plate insertible under the fish plates and between the flanges,the side edges of the base plate being normally seated in the recesses,said base plate having side recesses for releasing the base plate fromthe flanges when said base plate is shifted longitudinally in onedirection, upstanding ribs upon the base plate, one of said ribsengaging one of the fish plates, a

wedging strip interposed between the other strip, rails extendingbetween the fish plates as my own, I have hereto afiixed niy signaandresting on the base plate, and projecture in the presence of twoWitnesses.

tions u on the lower faces of the rails and at oppdsite sides of thebase plate, each pro- SIMON z COLLINS jection having an extension seatedin one Wit of the side recesses in the base plate. J. HOFFMAN GARBER,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing ROBT. ZANKER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner 01' Patent Washington, D. 0. i

